Police union hopes state budget targets western Victorian police shortages with more officers

The Police Association of Victoria has called for at least 500 new officers to be funded in the upcoming state budget.

Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence has revealed police, courts and support services are currently overwhelmed by the number of family violence incidents.

Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to respond by boosting police numbers in the coming weeks.

The association's Ron Iddles said the state's west was facing critical staff shortages.

"Ballarat is even suffering a shortage and we'll have a new police station open up there shortly and there'll be 13 or 14 staff move out to that police station, so that'll stretch the resources," he said.

"Nhill, even Horsham, I think it's predominantly right across the state."

He said staff were stretched to the limit.

"I'm aware of an incident recently at Avoca where a member was called out, he went to a very serious domestic," he said.

"He made the decision to attend it on ... [his] own because the nearest back-up was an hour away, he knew that there were young children there, so to some extend he put his own life at risk and members shouldn't have to attend incidents on their own."

In a statement, acting Police Minister Robin Scott said the Government would continue to work with Victoria Police to ensure it had the resources it needed.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Opposition said law and order should be a key priority for the Government in the upcoming budget.

He said it was last renovated in the 1970s and was in dire need of funding.

"I've visited the police station on several occasions in the last 12 months and it's clear with the changed security environment, with the changing of times, the police station is no longer suitable and needs to be fully rebuilt," he said.

"It's one of the oldest 24 hour police stations in Victoria and it needs to be upgraded in the upcoming state budget."